Abstract:

This workshop or seminar will concentrate on unconventional and innovative ways to enhance web-based learning methods within the college level environment. Students have showed successful learning techniques by utilizing the two methods combined: myskillstutor online learning courseware and strengthsquest, an online psychological talent finder.

Abstract Text and summary:
The Strengths that guide THE SELF-DIRECTED LEARNER
Self-Directed Learning (SDL) A Revolutionary Perspective on College Student Achievement and Success©

A Contextual Approach
Each entering student already has all of the talents needed to achieve and persist in college.
Each entering student has a unique set of talents that can enable and empower him/her to do certain things very well in college and beyond
The key to achieving is within a person’s talents; achieving to levels of excellence requires development and application of strengths.
Most students do not know what their greatest talents are; even fewer know how to develop or aA Revolutionary Perspective on College Student Achievement and Success (Cont’d)pply strengths.
The most important steps in students becoming successful include:
a) students identifying their greatest talents.
b) students developing strength based upon those talents.
c) students applying strengths in academic learning and achievement tasks
A Revolutionary Perspective on College Student Achievement and Success (Cont’d)
The future achievements and quality of life of students will in large measure be determined by the extent to which they discover their greatest talents, and develop and apply these strengths in college.
Therefore the most critically important job for students is to discover their greatest talents then develop and apply strengths in the many courses, programs, services, and opportunities available through a college education.
The successful self-directed learner has the ability to be aware of “self.” This attribute is closely related to some of the executive processes identified with meta-cognition. It enables individuals to be aware of their learning processes, of their weaknesses, but most importantly, their strengths, to know if their ability to use a different approach, to know how and what is distracting in their environment, to know the importance of a given learning activity, to know when they need assistance, to have a realistic perception of their ability to achieve their learning goal.